Weak Glutes Could Cause Knee Pain in Women Runners

A new study from East Carolina University has added weak glutes to the list of possible causes of knee pain among women runners. In a comparison of 20 healthy male runners and 20 healthy female runners, the females exhibited 40 percent greater peak gluteus maximus muscle activation and 53 percent higher average gluteus activation than the males.

None of the women had knee pain, sometimes called patellofemoral pain (PFP) or patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) by physicians and therapists. And head researcher John D. Willson is quick to point out that his study was not an experimental trial, and should not be used to give therapy recommendations.

However, past research has shown that women suffer from PFP twice as much as men. And the researchers do note that greater glute activation could lead to earlier fatigue that promotes “aberrant hip and knee joint kinematics.” Thus, “further study of the potential benefit of hip endurance training for prevention or treatment of running-related injuries such as PFP seems justified.”